Ý kiến của giáo viên và học sinh về thách thức trong việc thực hiện dự án trong sách tiếng anh 10 mới

Other problems involve components of Group work, Time management and Assessment, Authenticity and Public product, Learners’ autonomy in Project.. Besides, there are many reported problem

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST GRADUATE STUDIES

NGUYỄN THỊ MINH HẰNG

CHALLENGES IN IMPLEMENTATION OF PROJECT IN THE NEW TEXTBOOK ‘TIENG ANH 10’: TEACHERS AND

STUDENTS’ VOICES (Ý kiến của giáo viên và học sinh về thách thức trong việc thực hiện Dự

án trong sách Tiếng anh 10 mới)

M.A MINOR PROGAMME THESIS

Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 8140231.01

HÀ NỘI – 2021

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST GRADUATE STUDIES

NGUYỄN THỊ MINH HẰNG

CHALLENGES IN IMPLEMENTATION OF PROJECT

IN THE NEW TEXTBOOK ‘TIENG ANH 10’: TEACHERS

AND STUDENTS’ VOICES (Ý kiến của giáo viên và học sinh về thách thức trong việc thực hiện

Dự án trong sách Tiếng anh 10 mới)

M.A MINOR PROGAMME THESIS

Field: English Teaching Methodology

Code: 8140231.01

Supervisor: Dr Mai Thị Loan

HÀ NỘI – 2021

submitted for any degree at any other universities or institutions

In terms of these conditions, I agree that the origin of my paper deposited in the library should be accessible for the purposes of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the librarian for the care, loan or

reproduction of the paper

Signature Hanoi – 2021

Approved by

SUPERVISOR

(signature and full name)

Date: 25/10/2021

Thirdly, my gratitude goes to my family members who have been constant pillars of support throughout the time I conducted research

Last but not least, I could not have done this without my friends, who have always been there to offer valuable advices and at time share my thesis crisis

ABSTRACT

This empirical study aims at investigating the challenges faced by students and teachers in the implementation of Project in the New English textbook “Tieng Anh 10” On the basis of survey research, the researcher utilized questionnaire and interview as the main data collection instruments with the participation of four teachers and 82 students in grade 10 of one high school in Thai Nguyen Data gathered through survey and interview were then analyzed using qualitative and quantitative method Findings from the questionnaire and interview reveal that Key knowledge, Skills and sub-skills for Project cause the most problems from the perspectives of 10th grade students Other problems involve components of Group work, Time management and Assessment, Authenticity and Public product, Learners’ autonomy in Project In contrast, students did not encounter challenges in Aid of Technology Similarly, teachers face the most obstacles in the component of Key knowledge, Skills and sub-skills Besides, there are many reported problems in other components, including Learners’ autonomy in Project, Authenticity and Public product, Time management and Assessment The two components which are not challenging to teachers include Group work and Aid of technology

LIST OF TABLES, FIGURES AND ABBREVIATIONS

List of tables

Table 1: Students’ mean score in learners’ responsibility……… 46

Table 2: Students’ mean score in group work ……… ………48

Table 3: Students’ mean score in Key knowledge, Skills and Sub-skills….…… 50

Table 4: Students’ mean score in Authenticity and Public product………52

Table 5: Students’ mean score in Aid of technology……… 53

Table 6: Students’ mean score in Time management and Assessment………55

Table 7: Challenges with highest mean score for students……….56

Table 8: Average mean score of each component for students ……… 57

Table 9: Teachers’ opinions on Learners’ autonomy in Project……… 62

Table 10: Teachers’ mean score in Learners’ autonomy in Project……… 62

Table 11: Teachers’ opinions on Group work ……….64

Table 12: Teachers’ mean score in Group work……… 64

Table 13: Teachers’ opinions on Key knowledge, Skills and Sub-skills………….65

Table 14: Teachers’ mean score in Key knowledge, Skills and sub-skills……… 66

Table 15: Teachers’ opinions on Authenticity and Public product ……….67

Table 16: Teachers’ mean score in Authenticity and public product……… 68

Table 17: Teachers’ opinions on Aid of technology………69

Table 18: Teachers’ mean score in Aid of technology………69

Table 19: Teachers’ opinions on Time management and Assessment………70

Table 20: Teachers’ mean score in Time management and Assessment……… 71

Table 21: Challenges with the highest mean score for teachers……….….73

Table 22: Average mean score of each component for teachers……….74

List of charts

Chart 1: Students’ opinions on Learners’ autonomy in Project ………45 Chart 2: Students’ opinions on group work ……… 47 Chart 3: Students’ opinions on Key knowledge, Skills and Sub-skills ……….…49 Chart 4: Students’ opinions in Authenticity and Public product ……… 51 Chart 5: Students’ opinions on Aid of technology ………53 Chart 6: Students’ opinions on Time management and Assessment……….54

ABBREVIATIONS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ii

ABSTRACT iii

LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS iv

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS v

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Rationale 1

1.2 Aim of the study 3

1.3 Research question 3

1.4 Scope of research 3

1.5 Methods of the study 4

1.6 Significance of the study 5

1.7 Organization 5

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 6

2.1 Review of previous literature 6

2.1.1 International studies 6

2.1.2 Studies in Vietnam 8

2.2 Project-based learning 12

2.2.1 Definition of Project-based learning 12

2.2.2 The goals of PBL 14

2.2.3 Role of PBL in classrooms 16

2.2.4 Components of PBL 18

2.2.4.1 Learner’s autonomy in Project 19

2.2.4.2 Group work 20

2.2.4.3 Key Knowledge, Skills and sub-skills 21

2.2.4.4 Authenticity and public product 22

2.2.4.5 Aid of technology 23

2.2.4.6.Time management and Assessment 23

2.3 Teachers and learners’ role in PBL classrooms 25

2.3.1 Teachers’ role in PBL classrooms 25

2.3.2 Students’ role in PBL classrooms 27

2.4 Benefits of PBL 29

2.5 Summary 30

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 31

3.1 Restatement of research question 31

3.2 Survey research 31

3.3 Context of the study 33

3.4 Participants 35

3.5 Data collection instruments 36

3.5.1 Questionnaire for students 36

3.5.2 Interview for students 38

3.5.3 Questionnaire for teachers 39

3.5.4 Interview for teachers 41

3.6 Data collection procedure 42

3.7 Data analysis methods 43

3.8 Summary 43

CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS 44

4.1 Questionnaire for students 45

4.1.1 Learners’ autonomy in Project for students 45

4.1.2 Group work for students 46

4.1.3 Key knowledge, Skills and sub-skills for students 48

4.1.4 Authenticity and Public product 51

4.1.5 Aid of Technology for students 53

4.1.6 Time management and Assessment for students 54

4.2 Interview for students 58

4.2.1 Learners’ autonomy 58

4.2.2 Group work 58

4.2.3 Key knowledge, Skills and sub-skills 59

4.2.4 Authenticity and Public product 59

4.2.5 Aid of technology 60

4.2.6 Time management and Assessment 60

4.3 Questionnaire for teachers 61

4.3.1 Learners’ autonomy in Project 62

4.3.2 Group work 64

4.3.3 Key knowledge, Skills and sub-skills 64

4.3.4 Authenticity and Public product 66

4.3.5 Aid of technology 68

4.3.6 Time management and Assessment 69

4.4 Interview for teachers 74

4.4.1 Learners’ autonomy 74

4.4.2 Group work 76

4.4.3 Key knowledge, skills and sub-skills 76

4.4.4 Authenticity and Public product 77

4.4.5 Aid of technology 77

4.4.6 Time management and Assessment 78

4.5 Findings 78

4.6 Summary 81

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 83

5.1 Recapitulation 83

5.2 Concluding remarks 84

5.3 Pedagogical implications 85

5.3.1 Necessary skills training 85

5.3.2 Time management and group work 86

5.3.3 Authenticity and public display 86

5.3.4 Assessment and feedback 87

5.4 Limitations of the study 87

5.5 Suggestion for further study 88

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Rationale

In the modern times, it is essential that EFL learners acquire academic knowledge and skills that can be utilized in realistic situations Recognizing the importance of using English for communicative purposes in real-life context, the Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam introduced the pilot English textbooks in 2012 with communicational curricula To achieve this goal, English teachers in schools in Vietnam are suggested to adopt a learning centred and communicative approach in which students are active participants in the language learning process and organizer and facilitator of their own learning Among a myriad of communicative language teaching methods, project-based learning has been appraised for its great benefits in developing students’ language skills, content learning as well as cognitive ability and improve students’ confidence, learning autonomy that can be witnessed through their active role in learning (Meyer et al, 1997; Blumenfeld et al., 1991; Hadim and Esche, 2002) It is, thus, a compatible method when learning with the new textbook to aid students and teachers in reaching the goal and objective of the new communicational curricula

From the reality of adopting Project into the curricula for grade 10 students,

I can see myself and students encounter manifold troubles Projects were not conducted as smoothly as expected due to inappropriate time management Students were not clear about the tasks that they needed to perform and failed to control their learning Despite their great enthusiasm at the beginning of Project, they revealed

to have struggled in many aspects during the process It is my responsibility to help students figure and address these problems However, I and other teachers also experienced discomfort in implementing Project, leading to reluctance in adopting PBL In fact, no one had carried out a research in my school to explore the problems

of PBL in classroomss Accordingly, it is necessary to look into the challenges in

There have been several studies in Vietnam looking into the attitudes of teachers and students separately towards project-based learning in the classrooms Consistent findings from numerous research have revealed that many EFL high school students and teachers in Vietnam face challenges in terms of resources, time and group work when doing Project Students and teachers report needs for researching on articles and learning materials, yet the lack of resources seems to be

a hindrance in the search for further information for the Project (Duong Thi Huong Giang, 2018; Hoang Thi Ha Xuyen, 2017, Hoang Yen Phuong, 2017) Another problem that student report with technology lies in their computer literacy It is reported that many students struggle with using technology for Project, which is required at many upper secondary school (Hoang Yen Phuong, 2017) Moreover, students and teachers agree that teamwork management can act as hindrance in implementing and performing Project Irrefutably, evidence from several research ( Aldabbus, S (2018), Duong Thi Huong Giang (2018)) have revealed that students lacked the necessary skills of collaborative work, which is of fundamental means and an end to project-based learning Other studies also add that time is another challenge when working on their project While teachers worry that students do not spend enough time on Project, insufficient amount of allocated time for Project is another obstacle perceived by students

These studies only focus on the strengths and improvements of students’ performance by means of PBL The researchers seemed to take little account of difficulties as perceived by teachers and students in implementation of Project section To be more specific, the challenge only constitutes a small part of the previous related studies, and it is not discussed in a detailed way This study, hence,

is aimed at investigating what teachers and students in a Thai Nguyen high school perceive as the challenges in doing Project in the New textbook ‘Tieng Anh 10’

1.2 Aim of the study

The study aims at exploring Vietnamese high school teachers and students’ perception of challenges in the implementation of Project section in the New textbook ‘Tieng Anh 10’

This overall aim can be achieved through the two following objectives:

(1) To explore the perceived challenges of students in the implementation of Project (2) To find out what teachers regard as obstacles while organizing Project session

implementation as well as the comparison and contrast in challenges perceived by students and teachers would be beyond the scope of this research

1.5 Methods of the study

The study was conducted in survey research The instruments utilized in this study include questionnaire and interview to investigate the perceptions of students and teachers’ opinions were collected through a different version of questionnaire and interview To be more specific, questionnaires for students were self-designed with the base of Project components by Stoller (2006), Simpson (2011) and Buck Institution for Education (2015), while the list of questions for interview was set up from the result of the questionnaire to further explore its findings The teachers’ version of questionnaire also employed the Project components as the base, and the interview questions were designed to gain more insights into the teachers’ perception

The researcher collected data for the study in the following sequence In the first stage, the pilot survey was conducted to examine the face validity of the questionnaire Specifically, a pilot questionnaire for students was delivered to a group of five students, and two teachers received the piloted version for teachers questionnaire The results aided the researcher to make necessary adjustments to the questionnaire In the second stage, the researcher distributed the student questionnaire to 82 students and the teachers questionnaire to four teachers Data from these would focus on their perceived problems in the implementation of Project In the third stage, after data had been collected, analyzed information from questionnaires was utilized to design questions for interviews (student and teachers version), which serves the purpose of further investigation into the underlying reasons of such challenges In the final stage, the data from the interviews and questionnaires of students and teachers was sorted and analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively

1.6 Significance of the study

Due to the remarkable impact of PBL on EFL learners and teachers, there has been much research looking into the attitudes of teachers and students towards PBL, meanwhile, little attention has been paid to the challenges exclusively This study is therefore conducted to contribute to the area of PBL in aspects of theoretical knowledge and practicality In terms of the theory, the researcher conducts this research to identify the challenges perceived by 10th-grade students and teachers during implementation of Project in the new textbook ‘Tieng Anh 10’ The researcher expects that the results would raise awareness on challenges in PBL implementation in secondary school It is also believed to contribute and enrich the research repertoire of communicative language approach Besides, practically, the findings can aid students in addressing the potential problems in PBL implementation with some suggested measures Moreover, the research findings are expected to help teachers in conducting PBL activities and lessons more efficiently with the help of implications

1.7 Organization

The thesis is divided into the chapters as follows:

Chapter 1: Introduction, in which the rationale, aims and objectives, scope, research method, significance and the outline of the study are presented

Chapter 2: Literature review provides a theoretical background for the thesis Chapter 3: Methodology This chapter presents a detailed description of the method utilized in the research including the subjects/ participants, instruments of data collection (questionnaire and interview), the procedure of the research

Chapter 4: Findings and Discussion showcases the result of data analysis and discussion

Chapter 5: Conclusion sums up the findings of the thesis and points out some

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter will explore the literature background to establish the conceptual framework to create research inquiry and define the value of pursuing the enquiry established The first part of the literature review aims to discuss key terms of the study, and the second part provides a look at learner and teachers’ role

in the implementation and success of Project-based learning Lastly, previous studies on challenges of Project-based learning internationally and locally are discussed in the last part

2.1 Review of previous literature

to control learning activities and the other involved when and where teachers should

intervene Because PBL highlights student’s self-regulated learning, teachers revealed their struggle in facilitating autonomous study sessions The implications reveal that the group could have functioned better if it had adopted the principles underpinning the approach so that teachers could take a more critical stance towards how they operated within the group and how they taught PBL

Findings reported from a research by Tamim and Grant (2013) also revealed some challenges in PBL implementation The purpose of this descriptive study was

to explore in-service teachers’ definitions of PBL and their accounts on the meaning

of their PBL implementations A purposive sample of six teachers from grades four through twelve in public and private schools participated to provide data on teachers’ perceptions The results showcased that the difficulty of selecting content for PBL, guidance for students and assessment of the end product based on multiple elements of the project and process were among challenges that interfered with PBL

in the classrooms The researchers recommend that it is important to consider PBL

as central and not peripheral to the curriculum Furthermore, when teachers’ problems are concerned, it is advisable that they receive more exposure and training

of PBL implementation during the training course in order to better application and build up confidence in PBL classrooms

Alddubus carried out a study in 2018 in several primary schools in the Kingdom of Bahrain The study aims at exploring the challenges that might occur during the application of PBL in the classrooms through the viewpoint of teachers The participants in this study include a group of 24 teachers from eight primary schools In this study, questionnaire and semi-structured interview were employed

to gather data from the participant group The findings revealed that it was impossible for most teachers to implement PBL in the classrooms, and the major challenges include content selection, time management, monitoring and assessment and lack of facilities In the end, he suggested that to address the aforementioned

At school, it would be advisable that more resources should be allocated to PBL classes, including financial aid and display area Moreover, collaboration among teachers as well as use of different effective assessment tools should be encouraged

A case study by four researchers: Basilotta Gómez-Pablos & Sánchez & García-Valcárcel & Martín was carried out in 2020 It analysed the Solidarity Atocha project, which was implemented at a school in Madrid, Spain, and in which

114 first-year High school students participated The main objective of this study is

to analyse the experience of students that participated in the Solidarity Atocha project and to understand how they evaluated it and how satisfied they were with it

A semantic differential and a semi-structured interview were used to collect data In general, the results obtained revealed some difficulties with regard to the time spent

on the project Students indicated that it was not possible to transfer information quickly and hence, the project at times required more time than it was originally allocated Another problem faced by students concerned guidance from teachers on how they conducted projects In this regard, the researchers consider it necessary that experiences of this type have a greater weight in final evaluations so that students view the project as an integrated part of the educational curriculum and not

as an isolated activity that has been undertaken at a particular moment and has involved a lot of time and effort Moreover, teachers may involve more scaffolding activities and constant feedback on students’ process to further guide them in generating the final product

In spite of the researchers’ various solutions contributing to the area of PBL implementation, they did not study challenges in PBL faced by teachers and students explicitly My study therefore aims to seek more problems in Project implementation that learners and teachers face

2.1.2 Studies in Vietnam

PBL implementation in Vietnamese educational context has been the

Hoang (2014), Hoang Yen Phuong (2017), Duong Thi Huong Giang (2018), Tran Viet Cuong, Nguyen Van Tuan (2020) in PBL revealed some difficulties in PBL Vietnamese classroomss

Ngo Huu Hoang contributed to the knowledge of this field by his work on PBL conducted in 2014 The paper deals with implementing project work in the teaching of Intercultural Communication in English at Vietnam National University, Hanoi It purports to be pragmatic in focus, linking theory with practice by providing Project-Based Learning as a tool for effectively teaching Intercultural Communication in English at the university Ngo (2014) reveals in his work that with regard to students, the major challenges of Vietnamese in PBL classes involve inability to solve questions effectively, lack of motivation or absence of constant active engagement in activities Contrasting to rote learning in a traditional class, PBL students are required to apply content knowledge into solving their real-life situations The shift from passive to active role in learning means that it is vital that students develop their own self –regulated and self-evaluated learning abilities

so as to master PBL (Nguyen, 2017, as cited in Tran & Tran, 2019) Nevertheless, Ngo argued that Vietnamese students are not well-equipped with skills of team working, which leads to some challenges when working collaboratively In terms

of teachers, the findings reveal that teachers of PBL perform different roles as instructors, supporters and supervisors, which are unfamiliar to them in traditional classroomss The primary problem in implementing PBL in the classrooms is the shift in instruction methods, assessment and the curriculum (Barron et al., 1998) Teachers account for this change from traditional roles to the new roles of facilitator after re-examining the pedagogical views and struggling the “conflicts with deep seated teachers beliefs” (Rosenfeld & Rosenfeld, 2005, p 386) Besides difficulties in getting accustomed to new teaching methods, this shift may come in conflict with teachers’ personal beliefs, which is likely to cause many potential

problems and thus, make teachers reluctant to adopt (Nguyen, Terlouw & Pilot, 2005)

A study by Hoang Yen Phuong (2017) was conducted to gain insight into how PBL was implemented in a Vietnamese high school 140 tenth-grade students who partook in this study were asked to report their challenges on conducting Project in class A questionnaire comprising 30 items was utilized to collect data on students’ attitudes towards PBL in class The findings indicate that although they have positive attitudes towards Project in class, they have to deal with many problems including lack of time, technology and collaboration skills Among those problems, time was revealed to be the most common challenge, followed by the lack

of technological aid Group work was the last troublesome factor, as the students reported that they argued with their peers and at times could not reach a mutual agreement due to unsuccessful group work From the current study, three suggestions can be made to improve the effects of project activities Several recommendations of the researcher are given to address problems in PBL application Regarding time and group work problems, students should be allowed

to freely choose their peers at the first time they do project activities and work at home Moreover, students should be supported to improve their technology skills

It is the teachers’ role to aid their students to know how to search for information on the internet as well as use PowerPoint for their presentation at the beginning of the course

Duong Thi Huong Giang (2018) carried out a research on the attitude of students and teachers on PBL implemented in one rural high school in the province

of Nam Dinh The study measures the attitude on benefits, problems and the methods of implementation from the students’ viewpoint The participants included

105 students from the school and questionnaire was employed as an instrument to gather data on students’ perceived attitudes The results showcase complaints on collaboration of students Many learners saw major problems in working together

with peers, which led to their dissatisfactory performance in Project Duong added

by describing lack of English vocabulary items as one problem faced by students in PBL In her study, a small vocabulary repertoire of students was attributed to their failure to perform confidently and satisfactorily in Project In her work, Duong added the availability of technological resources during the process of completing project to the list of challenges The surveyed high school in her study did not equip students with suitable and sufficient devices to serve the needs of collecting, analyzing data and sharing final products, which greatly troubled students and teachers in the implementation of Project The researcher proposes solutions for this

by indicating that it is the teachers’s duty to examine student’s ability in advance,

in order to adjust and create a conducive and effective learning environment for students

Tran Viet Cuong and Nguyen Van Tuan carried out a recent experimental research in 2020 on students with the purpose of investigating the application of PBL in science class The study was conducted in a university and it included 48 third-year students as participants Tests and self-assessment surveys were utilized

to collect data on students’ experience with PBL, and the difficulties during the implementation of PBL were revealed It is demonstrated that students experienced problems in presentation of final products as they have never done a project in PBL before The second problem concerns topic selection and group work, as there was

no consensus among students However, this was soon handled as the groups developed collaborative skills during the session Locating and synthesizing and sorting information for the project was another challenge as they struggled to find the most prominent features of the product to work on

The aforementioned studies have suggested a number of steps to mitigate PBL problems in the actual classrooms Nevertheless, the researchers believed that there would be more problems which needed to be discovered by future researchers

In summary, the studies both in Vietnam and overseas mentioned above showed students’ problems in PBL which are related to time restraint, group work, aid of technology, learner autonomy, topic selection and essential knowledge With regard

to teachers, it was revealed that their challenges involved a shift in the role, facilities, assessment methods and knowledge As expected by the researchers of these studies, my thesis was conducted for the purpose of exploring more difficulties from the perspectives of teachers and students and offering practical solutions

2.2 Project-based learning

2.2.1 Definition of Project-based learning

Simpson (2011) states that PBL is not a new approach in general education According to Beckett (2006), David Snedden first created PBL in a science class, and in the early 1900s, it was further developed by William Heard Kilpatrick, John Dewey’s student PBL was developed with the aim at leaners’ need of purposeful activity (Beckett, 2006; Muniandy, 2000) By working on Project based on their interests, learners could learn by constructing knowledge during the process of preparing questions, acquiring and synthesizing information and producing final answers Instead of mechanical practice for memorization of content knowledge, students learnt in a meaningful context while creating an end product (Wrigley, 1998) Primarily, PBL was widely implemented in science education (Kalvu, 2015) However, PBL has also been incorporated into language education along with an increased interest in student-centered learning, autonomous learning, and collaborative learning (Hedge, 1993)

Under the light of constructivism and constructivism theory Vygotsky in

1978, Project Based Learning (PBL) is introduced as a student centered teaching method

PBL is firstly understood for its term “Project” and tasks As discussed in Thomas (2000, p.1), PBL is “a model that organizes learning around Project”

“Project” is described as “complex tasks”, and by means of challenging questions

or problems, it helps to involve students in numerous tasks: design, solving, decision making, or investigation; thereby, it gives students the opportunity to engage in autonomous learning over extended periods of time; and produce realistic products or presentations The term “project” used in EFL context was proposed by Fried-Booth (1986, p.8) indicating that language tasks arise naturally from the project itself, “developing cumulatively in response to a basic objective, namely, the project.” Hedge (1993) specifies Project as extended tasks which usually integrate language skills by means of a number

problem-of activities These activities are combined in working towards an agreed goal and may include the following: planning, the gathering of information through reading, listening, interviewing, and observing; group discussion of information; problem solving; oral and written reporting; and displaying the final product to audiences

In another definition, Collins, Brown and Newman (1989) capitalize the feature of learner-centered in PBL when they indicate that project-based learning

is an approach that allows learners to identify and formulate their own problems The goals they set as well as the unexpected discoveries they will make during interaction with the environment can serve as guides

Other educators and researchers have also unanimously referred to PBL as

“instructional approach” Tims (2009, p.20) provides a definition of PBL as an instructional approach, in which students can transform their content knowledge Similarly, PBL is a comprehensive instructional approach to engage students

in sustained, cooperative investigation (Bransford & Stein, 1984) Moss and Van Duzer (1998) define it as an instructional approach that contextualizes learning

by presenting learners with problems to solve or products to develop based learning is a dynamic approach to teaching in which students explore real-world problems, issues and challenges, are inspired to obtain a deeper

Project-knowledge gained through this approach far more readily than through traditional textbook-centered learning In addition, the students develop confidence and self-direction as they move through both team-based and independent work

In a simple way, project-based learning is a big task that provides connection between a group of learners and gives them some opportunities like talking about the issue close to their hearts, step by step finding out a response and being able to present the results to a wider audience (Thomas, 2000, Fried-Booth, 1968, Hedge, 1993) Its contextualized learning environment allows students to construct and transform content knowledge into practical products, and simultaneously boost confidence and trigger passion for autonomy and life-long learning (Tim, 2009; Bransford & Stein, 1984; Moss & Van Duzer, 1998)

2.2.2 The goals of PBL

Being a learning approach, PBL irrefutably aims at assisting students in acquiring content knowledge However, the goals of PBL are broader, however, simply than the development of content knowledge This approach aims to take learning one-step further by enabling students to transfer their learning to new kind

of situations and problems and to use knowledge more proficiently in performance situations (Barron & Darling-Hammond, 2008)

Implementing the PBL approach in schools is a path which leads students to the PBL advantages highway Furthermore, PBL helps students to internalize the above-mentioned skills through preparing, carrying out and presenting their projects

As Thomas Markham (2011) defined: “PBL integrates knowing and doing”,

in a PBL classrooms, students are expected to acquire theoretical information and

elements of the lesson and then apply this with their existing world knowledge to investigate and come up with solutions to a problem, a question or a challenge By

means of PBL, students are hoped to also enhance their soft skills and language knowledge which is needed for solving problem in the real world As PBL

highlights the authenticity or real-life application of the research, it means the

promise of seeing a realistic influence and practicality can become the means to gain

knowledge as well as motivation for learning

Developed under the light of Constructivism Theory, PBL has added another goal in ESL/EFL In the research entitled “Mind, language, and epistemology: toward a language socialization paradigm for SLA” (2004), Karen Ann Watson-Gegeo has elaborated on the shift of paradigm in how contemporary educators view language learning from a constructivist viewpoint The review of studies has revealed that recent research from cognitive sciences has argued that social and cultural context is built and developed due to its group members sharing sets of beliefs, values and ideology In other words, information gained through learning cannot transform into knowledge without perception and cognization of many other perspectives and viewpoints, through the eye of learners For this reason, it is essential that to be able to learn, learners gain exposure to the beliefs, values and knowledge of other members in their society In classrooms settings, a successful project can introduce multiple viewpoints of knowledge and encourage students to evaluate and reflect on information critically

In summary, PBL aims at providing learners with authentic and contextualized situations of learning ( Barron & Darling-Hammond, 2008; Markham, 2011) Through this, students can gain socially constructed knowledge and other necessary soft skills (Watson-Gegeo, 2004, which are then utilized to solve realistic problems in the world PBL lessons include a realistic driving question and an authentic, contextualized situation set for learning The more authentic driving questions and learning context are created, the more likely it is for students to achieve knowledge and apply it into real life

2.2.3 Role of PBL in classrooms

PBL in classrooms context acts as a vehicle of learning By this, students are likely to achieve more than just content knowledge: communicative competence, authentic learning, learner autonomy, cooperative and collaborative learning, higher-order thinking skills and lifelong learning

The role of PBL is also emphasized when collaborative learning with

communicative competence is concerned The implementation of PBL in

classrooms is optimized by integrating content knowledge with collaborative learning, and is composed by means of ideas communication In this context, students with varying levels of knowledge and prior experience can communicate, share ideas and work together in groups to reach a common goal (Lou & MacGregor, 2004) In other words, collective effort in knowledge construction and solution production through communication of different ideas can be of great benefit for students in a class of diverse backgrounds and levels

Authentic learning is another integral part of PBL in the process of teaching and learning Authentic activities refer to activities designed to develop students’ thinking and problem solving skills which are important in out-of-school contexts, and to foster learning to learn (Brown et al, 1993) On the grounds of driving questions that stem from real-world problems, students engage in purposeful communication to address the issues Through this, they have the opportunity to use language in a relatively natural context (Haines, 1989) and participate in meaningful activities which require practical language use

PBL is believed to promote self-regulated learning, and correspondingly learners’ autonomy in class Scaffolding activities and clarification of learning goals and objectives have greatly contributed to enhancing self-regulated learning and learners’ autonomy in class Numerous findings have provided evidence for this belief, among which findings from studies of White (2007) and Peters (2010)

with the traditional classrooms, White (2007) noticed an improvement in learners’ self-regulated learning The findings revealed an increase in motivation, ability to identify and set learning objectives, and adjust learning pace and style to their own preferences Sharing the similar result in the role to learners’ autonomy of PBL class, Peters (2010) conducted a case study of a science classrooms to explore implementation of a student-centered science unit with seventh-grade students who had no experience with student-centered instruction Through daily observations of

a four-week unit, the researcher found that despite their inability to regulate their own learning, students made immense improvement in autonomy This was illustrated through students’ ability to conduct independent research and decrease

in frequency of asking for teachers’ instructions Similar research findings have also been reported at the post-secondary level

Development of students’ higher-order thinking can be gained through socially constructed discussion in PBL class In 2009, De La Paz and Hernadez-Ramos compared PBL and traditional history classrooms in a quasi-experimental study The findings showcased that the more social interactions there are in class Project, the more perspectives students can get on a certain topic A learning environment that encourages sharing of multiple viewpoints can be of great benefits,

as it motivates students to develop their logical and critical thinking, evaluation of other different viewpoints in a social and cultural context Highlighted evidence from Strimel’s study (2014) emphasizes the importance of understanding multiple viewpoints for students in learning The author states that PBL is useful because there is no fixed answer to the driving questions; instead, the end product is collaboratively constructed to fit into the social and cultural context of the community they are living in In short, PBL plays the role of activating and enhancing higher thinking in students through evaluation of multifaceted knowledge

Joseph Krajcik and Charlene Czerniak (2007) also endorse that PBL can aid students with their long life learning on grounds of its authentic learning situations Looking at the connection between the real-world context and learning, it is irrefutable that in PBL classroomss, the content of lessons has become more relevant

to students’ lives and interests This idea can be supported by William Kilpatrick (early 1900s), the creator of the project method, and John Dewey Krajcik and Czerniak further explain that educators can use PBL to develop solutions to address

or improve existing community problems When performance of English as means

of communication and problem-solving become the learning outcomes in school for students, PBL can be a solution to closing the achievement gap between content knowledge and real-life problems

To summarize, practical soft skills (Brown et al, 1993, Haines, 1989), learners’ autonomy (White, 2007, Peters, 2010) and high-order thinking skill (De

La Paz & Hernadez-Ramos, 2009, Strimel, 2014) are the center role of PBL In my opinion, a PBL classrooms would not be successfully conducted in the absence of the opportunities to practice and enhance these skills besides content knowledge

2.2.4 Components of PBL

There have been numerous scholars and researchers who constituted a list of PBL components In order to conduct a successful PBL lesson, it is imperative that these components be included, and showcased in many activities throughout the lesson As a consequence, the components are closely intertwined to challenges that students and teachers may encounter in PBL classes The researcher therefore utilized the components of PBL as a framework to design questionnaires and interviews for students and teachers

A review of literature on Project-based learning reveals that there are several typical components of this approach Many researchers and scholars have attempted

to list out the key components of PBL and the lists of Stoller (2006), Simpson (2011)

and Buck Institution for Education (2015) will be discussed and compared as following:

2.2.4.1 Learner’s autonomy in Project

Introduced as a learner-centred approach, PBL must ensure that students lead their own learning According to Stoller (2006), learners’ autonomy ensures that students must have a say in shaping the process and product In the process of making decisions on many aspects of PBL, it involves figuring the necessary steps

to do Project, selecting topics, choosing methods for PBL, setting a clear schedule

of procedure and report of each step As a result, Stoller believes that PBL needs to extend beyond a single class period As PBL requires a lot of time to fulfill small tasks that lead to the final product, parts of it can be addressed outside the classrooms setting Simpson (2011) shares the same viewpoint on the fundamental importance of learners’ autonomy in PBL classes When students are engaged in the process of deciding and negotiating on topic, design, production and presentation, learning autonomy is likely to be enhanced Additionally, it is essential that their works involving decision-making and at each step are recorded These documents will serve as materials for assessment of students’ progress and final results, and both students and teachers partake in the assessment and evaluation process This further highlights the role of learners in PBL class With regard to Buck Institution for Education (2015), learners’ autonomy is represented in the component of

“Student Voice & Choice” This provides a conducive learning environment for students’ autonomy when they can compromise with their peers and teachers on the topic of the project, and how they develop the project (procedure, method) throughout the process From the perspective of teachers, this component requires that teachers negotiate and discuss with students to make decisions on all aspects (procedure, method, topic, design) of PBL At the same time, it is teachers’ duty to keep track of students’ progress at each stage for formative assessment and necessary intervention if needed The potential challenges for students may be

encountered when they decide on Project aspects, figure the necessary steps, choose topics, select methods, establish the appropriate procedure and progress report As for teachers, they might struggle with allowing students to decide on Project aspects, provide guidance in topic selection, guide students to figure Project procedure, negotiate on Project design and keep track of progress

2.2.4.2 Group work

The next component in Stoller’s list highlights the role of collaborative work

In PBL classrooms, students must work to conduct individual research on certain topics, and also contribute to the result of groups/pairs/teams by sharing and communicating of ideas to reach the common goal Buckey Institution for Education (2015) incorporates collaboration into the category of The “Key Knowledge, Understanding, and Success Skills” It is emphasized that working in pairs, groups is fundamental in PBL lessons to construct, share knowledge and build the final products Simpson, similarly also values collaborative work in PBL The intent of this component is to allow students to enhance their collaborative skill Joining in group work activities means that students can partake in practice of teamwork, integration of peer and mentor feedback and group-decision making On this foundation, work division, trust, report of irresponsibility and communication emerge as common issues in group activities for students to address Specifically, the matter of work division commonly causes problems in group activities for both students and teachers who facilitate learning In addition, problems of irresponsibility might emerge while one or several members fail to fulfill their tasks This may invite another challenge, in which members may hesitate to report cases

of irresponsibility to leaders and teachers In the process of working in teams, team members must communicate to share, contribute and construct the products, which means miscommunication can lead to failure of the team As PBL extends above classrooms setting, it is also indispensable that members must schedule for team

meetings outside school Teachers, from the role of facilitator and advisor, should pay attention to the matter of work division in group activities

2.2.4.3 Key Knowledge, Skills and sub-skills

In PBL, it is essential that skill integration be encouraged in the learning process According to Stoller (2006), this component does not limit itself in language skills and special techniques, but involves other soft skills into the process

of learning By this, students are enabled to promote their content knowledge, integrated language skills and at the same time develop realistic skills such as critical thinking, evaluation and presentation in the classrooms Likewise, Simpson (2011) believes that curriculum content is of great essence in an effective class of PBL In this component, mandated curriculum must be ensured to meet standards, include clearly articulated goals, demonstrate the acquisition of content knowledge and skill in the learning process and in final products as well The role of knowledge and skills are emphasized in two categories of Buckley Institution for Education’s list, which include “Key knowledge, Understanding and Success skills” and

“Sustained Inquiry” The category of “Key Knowledge, Understanding and Success skill” focuses on the aspect of realistic skills namely critical thinking and problem solving in PBL In summary, after PBL lessons, students are expected to accumulate more content knowledge, hone their skills of critical thinking, evaluation and presentation In terms of knowledge, students may struggle to locate relevant information, evaluate data (reliability, quality) in the research stage With regard to skills, there are likely to be problems in finding relevant information, assessing reliability and quality of data, identifying the sufficient amount of data in research and presentation of it to the audiences From the role of advisor and guider, teachers may encounter the similar problems in lack of knowledge to instruct students to be critical of information Besides, weak skills may build other obstacles for teachers

in instructing and training students to find relevant information, measure the needed amount, assess reliability and quality of data, and deliver high-quality presentations

2.2.4.4 Authenticity and public product

This element takes the form of authentic driving questions or realistic problems that are relevant to learner’s communities which need addressing By working to seek a solution and answer to this, students can make meaningful communication and connection to the real world through the use of authentic methods, practices and develop final products to showcase for targeted audiences

In Stoller’s list, this component is represented in an authentic driving question, which must be plausible and authentic and the final product which is required to be meaningful to students and the community Simultaneously, authentic task is an indispensable component according to Simpson There are two components in Buckley list that encompass authentic questions The “Challenging Problem or Question” element is the term for the meaningful challenge and problem that students need to address, or the driving question as many other researchers call it Additionally, it is also essential that the final product be displayed to public audiences Public presentation is required in the final stage of PBL; therefore it is a final, tangible product that students in PBL need to generate Sharing the similar view, scholars of Buckley refer to the “Public Product” element to students sharing their project with the broader community through a display or presentation There exist several potential issues concerning authenticity of task and presentation of public product Students might face difficulties finding a plausible topic to work on and at times in identifying the connection between the topic and community problems PBL at the same time requests a final product or answer to the driving question, which students might struggle to yield in some cases Besides, students may fail to see the meaning of PBL in the final product, whether to themselves or the public Regarding public presentation, the absence of a display channel can emerge as a hurdle in PBL From the perspectives of teachers, the same problem might occur to them in finding plausible topic, displaying channels and meaning of product to the public There are additional problems in guiding students to recognize the correlation of topic and real life and evaluating the final products

2.2.4.5 Aid of technology

Irrefutably, the leverage of technology and devices plays an important role

in the success of PBL lessons While Stoller does not pay a lot of attention to aid of technology in PBL, it is counted as an essential component to Simpson This component is defined by Simpson as multiple presentation modes, which refer to how the final product will be displayed This element is commonly engaged with the aid of technology in design, development and presentation of the project, which emphasizes the real strength of multimedia component as the tool of learning In this component, some issues with technological devices and tools can be expected Upon utilizing multimedia component in PBL, students may find it difficult to take advantage of technology in preparation and production stages Moreover, obstacles can be seen in finding suitable and free/affordable technological devices to build products On the other hand, the lack of facilities at school and outside school to aid students’ work may worry teachers Besides, in the role of advisor, they can face difficulties when students ask for help with technological problems

2.2.4.6 Time management and Assessment

Lastly, as PBL involves manifold tasks, it is essential to negotiate on the suitable deadline for the presentation of final products Another fundamental component in PBL is assessment According to Stoller, the first criterion of PBL concerns learning

in PBL as process-oriented and product-oriented This means that every stage in PBL needs taking into account for assessment and evaluation With regard to PBL

as a learner-centered approach, it demands that students’ reflection on both process and product be concluded Besides their voices in controlling the acquisition of language, students also need to partake in evaluating the progress and product of their research Likewise, Simpson believes that assessment in PBL indicates innovative assessment, which is contradictory to the form of assessment and evaluation in traditional classrooms As students account for their own learning, ongoing feedback throughout the lesson of PBL can facilitate and guide their

learning PBL requires varied forms including teachers assessment, peer assessment, self-assessment, and reflection This attribute is in parallel with two components “Reflection” and “Critiques, Revision” in Buckley’s It is not restricted

to teachers’ feedback; instead formative assessment from both learners and teachers throughout stages of Project are carefully examined in this component In time management, from the perspective of students, they are likely to encounter problems

in establishing suitable deadline and time allocation for Project besides other practices Regarding assessment, the perceived challenge may include difficulties

in self-assessment of final work and self-assessment of progress at every stage Teachers, similarly, can face the same problems of deadlines and time allocation in time management of PBL However, when assessment is concerned, there are a wider range of problems that may hinder teachers Formative assessment for process-oriented lessons may be considered to extend the lessons, as it requires constant feedback and tracking at every stage Besides, choosing the appropriate performance method and adapt or design test specification for grading is another noticeable obstacle In addition, teachers need to take credits of Project into consideration

In conclusion, PBL revolves around the concepts of learner’s autonomy and decisions in their learning, collaborative work, authentic task with public presentation of final product, technology aid and assessment and time management The first component involves students as a part of the decision-making body and regulation of their own learning This includes making decisions on many aspects

as well as reports of each stage of PBL implementation The second component underlines collaborative work as an indispensable part, as students are required to work in groups to construct knowledge and build the final product Besides, PBL must engage students in authentic tasks, which stem from real-life problems and revolve in a realistic communication context This thereby results in the public presentation of their product to address the community problems Furthermore, PBL

requires the aid of modern technology in preparation, production and presentation stages The last component of assessment and time management is listed In this, assessment instruments and time allocation for PBL need great attention as they can have significant influence on students’ performance and learning objectives achievement These components are, thereby, based on to develop the survey items

2.3 Teachers and learners’ role in PBL classrooms

2.3.1 Teachers’ role in PBL classrooms

PBL is a learner-centered method which highlights the active role of learners

in classroomss However, in an ideal PBL class, teachers’ presence and guidance is still of great essence to the success of project Instead of the information provider in the traditional classrooms, teachers now play a variety of roles: facilitators, coordinators, guiders, motivators and advisors in PBL class

As Simpsons emphasizes in his work, teachers as facilitator and coordinator

of learning is one of the core principles of PBL (1996), and this view is supported

by many researchers studying PBL (Gaer, 1998; Papanderou, 1994; Ngeow & Kong, 2001, p 2) Gaer (1998) believes that to reach the full potential of PBL, teachers need to take the role of facilitator In other words, teachers do not relinquish control of the classrooms or students’ learning; instead they develop an ecosystem

of shared responsibility and collaborative learning Papanderou (1994) adds that instead of giving information directly, teachers should play the role of making the learning process smoother, easier for children Ngeow & Kong (2001) believes that teachers should also partake actively in learners’ acquisition of knowledge and development of skills Both sides must take responsibility in the decision-making body of learning By this, the joint work should be shown in how teachers and students discuss organizing activities and small tasks to achieve learning objectives This, at the same time, involves the teachers’s job as collaborator and coordinator

in learning

In a PBL class, it is essential that teachers should be the guider and advisor

of learning (Blumenfeld et al, 1991; Winn 1995) This is demonstrated through how teachers adjust, direct teaching and give constant feedback to students in PBL implementation Blumenfeld and other scholars (1991) claim that the ongoing assessment and evaluation of students’ work are essential to ensure the students stay focused on the problems, work within the scope of driving questions and core standards of knowledge the project is aiming at While students conduct research on the topic, there are high chances that they may derail from the given driving questions, due to lack of knowledge and experience in self-regulated learning In this case, guidance and coaching from teachers will allow students to steer on track which leads to the final product and therefore achievement of learning objectives Winn (1995) believes that problems can be detected early if teachers consistently keep their eyes on students’ working When students receive feedback from teachers while solving problems, they are simultaneously guided to stay on the right track, avoiding steering off track from the problems Once grasping the feedback from teachers, learners may be able to reflect and come up with new ways to overcome hurdles Teachers, hence, while assessing and giving feedback, act their role of guider, advisor

In conclusion, in an ideal PBL class where self-regulated learning is highly valued, the vital role of teachers as facilitator, coordinator (Gaer, 1998; Papanderou, 1994; Ngeow & Kong, 2001), guider and advisor (Blumenfeld et al, 1991; Winn 1995) is irrefutable Teachers are simultaneously under responsibility to assist students in the acquisition of knowledge of the concepts being investigated at the end of lesson, negotiate with students to coordinate learning, provide ongoing feedback, keep students focused on the goals The researcher believes that these are the essential roles that teachers must be able to take actively in PBL class

2.3.2 Students’ role in PBL classrooms

With Constructivism as the foundational theory, PBL centres around the concept of learning as a socially constructed process This means students take an active role in constructing their own learning, instead of being passive in traditional class One prominent feature of PBL which is constantly emphasized is learner-centred environment To be more specific, in an ideal PBL class, students accept responsibility for task analysist, communicator of knowledge, knowledge constructor, and evaluator and reflector of learning (Zimmerman, 2000; Toulmin, 1972; Mergendoller et al., 2006; Schunk & Zimmerman, 2008)

The active role of students in PBL can be clearly seen during all the stages

At the first stage, students firstly take part in task analysis (Zimmerman, 2000) In this, they are under responsibility to set goals, plan strategy, expect outcomes, set timeline and establish the role of team members for the project While this role is dominantly played by teachers in traditional classroomss, it is the students who mainly make decisions on this, and teachers would act as guides and advisors here These processes enable students to activate the necessary thoughts, feelings and motivations needed for the later stages of PBL

In PBL class, students take the role of knowledge constructor and communicator of ideas This role is clearly displayed in group work When in group activities, students discuss and communicate meaningfully using targeted language, they simultaneously construct knowledge for their own Their existing knowledge and experience can be transmitted to peers as other sources of data through discussion This internalized and contextualized process ensures that students critically think, reflect and evaluate on knowledge, and thereby use multiple sources

of information as resources to build knowledge gained through learning Because learning occurs in a social context, learners interact with and internalize modes of knowing and thinking represented and practiced in a community (Toulmin, 1972)

Students, hence, play the active role of knowledge constructor and evaluator of learning

The reflector and evaluator role of students is also showcased in the presentation and evaluation phase Moreover, Schunk and Zimmerman (2008) state that as students share their products and processes with an audience, they continue

to learn through other students by seeing how others approached the problem and from feedback and questions they receive from the audience During the presentation and evaluation phase, the learner reflects on new knowledge and conceptual understanding and on the learning process itself The analogy for everyday learning indicates that students must constantly discuss ideas with peers

to collect, analyse and evaluate multiple sources of information, which then would meld prior knowledge and experience with new learning, and develop domain-specific knowledge and thinking strategies PBL’s authentic problems demand knowledge to be shared Students, thereby, once generating the final solutions and artifacts, need to communicate their works to audiences in their community This allows others to give feedback and permits learners to reflect on and extend their emergent knowledge and revise their products

All in all, students are the center of learning in an ideal PBL class, and the one who regulates and directs their own learning process (Zimmerman, 2000) In contrast to their passive role in traditional class, learners now take a lot of responsibility ranging from setting objectives to sharing and constructing knowledge and producing a final answer to the problem (Toulim, 1972) Furthermore, they are in charge of evaluating and reflecting on their own learning process (Schunk & Zimmerman, 2008) This remarkable shift can become a great hindrance to students who are made to take on new roles in the language learning process